Christian de Guigne IV Estate: $100 Million Home Comes With the Owner

'Tis the season for homes that no one can afford to come on the market, it seems. The Hillsborough, Calif., estate of Christian de Guigne IV is up for sale for a gut-busting $100 million, The Wall Street Journal reported. This comes after the record-setting $117.5 million sale of a Silicon Valley home in November -- reportedly the second most expensive home sale in the U.S. -- and the famed Crespi/Hicks estate in Dallas landing on the market for an even more unbelievable $135 million.

The giant 16,000-square-foot home on 47 acres has been in De Guigne's family for 150 years, and this is the first time it's up for sale. But you'll want to read the fine print before purchasing: The 75-year-old De Guigne comes with the house. He's retaining a life estate in the property, according to the Journal, which gives him exclusive use of the home for as long as he is alive. The reason he's selling, his attorney told the Journal, is for estate-planning purposes.

Don't let that discourage you, though. Eventually, you'll have yourself an astounding spread. The seven-bedroom, nine-bathroom home sits on a hilltop 20 minutes from San Francisco, with perfect views of the city and East Bay. It has a ballroom, a flower-arranging room, a library and a pavilion that opens up onto a pool courtyard. And if this doesn't sell you on the home, nothing will: "The mansion interiors encompass elegant and ornate public rooms, which evoke the sophistication and grandeur of a bygone era," the listing says. (P.S. The home was designed by acclaimed architecture firm Bliss & Faville, which designed the St. Francis Hotel.)

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